THURROCK Council has explained why it has taken no enforcement action against a container selling fish close to a residential area.

Ward councillors Martin Kerin, Jane Porthecary and Tony Fish responded to residents' complaints after they were alerted to the container, which is behind a shop on the junction of London Road and Parker Road.

They described the situation as 'unacceptable' and Cllr Kerin added: "Our residents have had to put up with this smell for far too long.

"When you factor in the traffic disruption to the area too, you can see that this is unacceptable.

"We want to put a stop to it once and for all."

However, officers at the council don't appear to share the councillors' and residents' concerns.

A statement issued today (Thursday, 19 March) – almost three weeks after concerns were first raised - says: "Thurrock Council has investigated from a food safety perspective and no issues have been identified.

"The environmental protection team visited the premises on several occasions including outside of normal hours and no statutory nuisance was witnessed. The case was referred to planning enforcement as planning permission is required for the storage containers.

"As retrospective planning permission has been applied for and is awaiting a decision, no enforcement action has yet been taken. If that application is refused, a planning enforcement notice will be served requiring the containers removal."